Massachusetts Locks Horns with Microsoft

The state is pushing open-source alternatives for government IT. Does Massachusetts' move spell trouble for the Redmond giant?

BOSTON (AP)With more than $32 billion in sales last year, Microsoft Corp. doesn't usually worry about losing one customer. But this one may be different.

In a memo sent last month, Massachusetts Administration and Finance Secretary Eric Kriss instructed the state's chief technology officer to adopt a policy of "open standards, open source" for all future spending on information technology...